Ice dam risk in Virginia Beach, VA
Will your roof get ice dams in Virginia Beach, VA?
0.3 dam days a winter
Almost never. An ordinary house in Virginia Beach sees 0.3 days a winter when an ice dam can form, because snow rarely stays on a roof long enough below freezing.
Virginia Beach averages 3 inches of snow a year and about 2 days with snow on the ground. Too little lies on the roof for long. The conditions that make a dam need all three at once: snow, cold at the eave and heat above it.
Do you need to do anything in Virginia Beach?
- Nothing for ice dams. If you are buying here and an inspector mentions water at the eaves, ask what they saw: it is far more likely a gutter, flashing or drip-edge problem than ice.
Snowy places are not always the worst: why snowfall misleads.
Virginia Beach winter, month by month
| Month | Snow (in) | Days on ground | Dam days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.2 |
| February | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.1 |
| December | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
Virginia Beach next to nearby towns
Virginia Beach ranks 34 of 39 Virginia cities here for ice-dam days, behind Winchester at 4.7 days.
- Norfolk, VA 16 mi, 0.1 days
- Chesapeake, VA 17 mi, 0.4 days
- Portsmouth, VA 19 mi, 0.1 days
- Hampton, VA 24 mi, 0.4 days
- Poquoson, VA 28 mi, 0.4 days
Where these numbers come from
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals from Oceana Nas, 2.6 miles from Virginia Beach. A dam day is a day with snow on the roof and freezing at the eave while heat or sun melts the snow above it. This describes a normal winter, not this one.